My Articles

When chronic Lyme disease patients are diagnosed, they enter a different world. The lack of understanding of the complexities of this illness outside of the Lyme community makes it important for patients and families with Lyme disease to establish boundaries, to set limits with those around them who do not understand what they are going through, to protect their time and energy, and to get the support they need. Here I discuss the boundary issues, and offer strategy for dealing with these issues when they come up.

Lyme disease can have a profound affect on a child’s ability to learn. This article discusses the complexity of the problems that children with chronic Lyme face in the school environment and what can be done to support them.

Lyme is a complex illness that, when chronic, often effects the brain, causing impairments in mood, cognition and attention. An integrated, or team approach to treating Lyme patients can provide help, support, and solutions to problems generated by the illness, beyond the medical treatment itself.

This is a simple screening tool designed to help mental health practitioners determine whether Lyme disease could be an underlying cause of presenting problems among children or adolescents. My hope is that by using this tool, more cases of Lyme disease may be recognized by mental health practitioners, resulting in earlier medical diagnosis and the need for less complex and lengthy treatment. If a tick-borne illness is present, comprehensive medical treatment can lead to more successful resolution of mental health problems, as well.

Education regarding Lyme disease is an important service we can provide to our schools. This handout can help teachers, nurses and guidance counselors identify children who may have Lyme, leading to early diagnosis and treatment. Since Lyme disease can have a profound impact on a child’s ability to learn, school professionals have a different view of the child than the parents or pediatrician might.